BJJER - Why is BJJ the only sport where your coach MUST be better than you?

Wrestling- you have some fat fucks coaching in high school and all the way to the highest levels at universities and even the olypics. I'm sure the coach can't beat their wrestlers at a division 1 school.

basketball- I'm sure the coaches can't beat their players.

Football- Same thing.

So why is it if you can tap your BJJ coach then you feel like you have to leave to grow?

I think Tom Brands at Iowa can still kick the shit out of most of his starting wrestlers.

Along the lines of what Slapu said, in the near future we will see the mentality shift in BJJ. Like wrestling, great coaches have a lot to offer young up and coming world champs. I think of guys like Renzo, carlinhos, Jacare, and even guys like Rickson maybe not at their once physical prime but at the top of their game when it comes to experience, knowledge ect. The USA will start to consistently produce Pan and World champs from various schools.

joe_mama - Quoting Mark Rippetoe again:"Mediocre athletes that tried like hell to get good are the best coaches"

I agree with that in most sports but you dont see it in wrestling and I guess BJJ either currently. The current " best " college wrestling coaches, Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Tom Brands, are all Gold medalists.

Interestingly, in boxing --unlike wrestling-- and more like many other sports, few top boxing coaches were big champions themselves.

Perhaps, at least in part, this is because top pro boxers make a LOT of money and don't need to work as coaches, whereas becoming a world champion or Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling is generally NOT a path to riches.

joe_mama - Quoting Mark Rippetoe again:"Mediocre athletes that tried like hell to get good are the best coaches"

I agree with that in most sports but you dont see it in wrestling and I guess BJJ either currently. The current " best " college wrestling coaches, Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Tom Brands, are all Gold medalists.

..and because the are Gold medalists, they attract a better HS wresters to their programs.

I don't know how to definatively say someone is the "best" coach. I can see how someone can say "coach who has the most wins" or something similar. "Winning" is more than just coaching, particularly for collegiate sports. Seems like other factors, including recruiting come into play wouldn't they?

Good thread! Another thing to bear in mind is in team sports the coach is more in charge of co- ordinating the various sub coaches, working out game plans, recruitment ect. They aren't really in charge of skill development, as they are in bjj

Coaches for pro team sports and universities are hired whereas Jiu Jitsu coaches are usually school owners who train because they love Jiu Jitsu and are actively involved. A school usually relies on the owner being successful or at least skilled at Jiu Jitsu, while a team sport relies on the athletes.

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